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Oracle
Barbara Gordon is a fictional character , a superheroine appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and in related media. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infanito. At the request of the producers of the 1960s Batman television series, DC editor Julius Schwartz called for a new female counterpart to the superhero Batman that could be introduced into publication and the third season of the show simultaneously. The character subsequently made her first comic book appearance as Batgirl in Detective Comics No. 359 titled, "The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!" (1967) by writer Gardner Fox and artist Carmine Infantino. Written as the daughter of Gotham City police commissioner James Gordon, her civilian identity is given a doctorate in Libary science and she is employed as head of Gotham City Public Library, as well as later being elected to the united states congress. ''Detective Comics'', Batman Family and other appearances (1967–1988). Prior to the introduction of Barbara Gordon, the Batwoman character and her side-kick Bat-Girl appeared in Batman-related publications, but were eventually removed at the direction of editor Julius Schwartz for being outdated and unrealistic. Schwartz stated that he had been asked to develop a new female character in order to attract a female viewership to the Batman television series of the 1960s. When producers and Howie Horowitz saw rough concept artwork of the new Batgirl by artist Carmine Infantino during a visit to DC offices, they optioned the character in a bid to help sell a third season to the ABC television network. Infantino reflected on the creation of Batgirl, stating "Bob Kane had had a Bat-Girl for about three stories in the ’50s but she had nothing to do with a bat. She was like a pesky girl version of Robin. I knew we could do a lot better, so Julie and I came up with the real Batgirl, who was so popular she almost got her own TV show."] Yvonne Craig portrayed the character in the show's third season. Barbara Gordon and alter ego Batgirl debuted in Detective Comics No. 359, "The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl" (1967), as the daughter of Gotham City's Police Commissioner James Gordon. In the debut story, while driving to a costume ball dressed as a female version of Batman, Barbara Gordon intervenes in a kidnapping attempt on Bruce Wayne by the super villain Killer Moth, attracting Batman's attention and leading to a crime-fighting career. Although Batman insists she give up crime-fighting because of her gender, Batgirl disregards his objections. In her civilian identity, Barbara Gordon, Ph.D., is depicted as a career woman with a doctorate in library science, as well as being head of Gotham City public library, "presumably one of the largest public libraries in the DC Comics version of reality." Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl exceeded the earlier Bat-Girl and Batwoman characters in popularity, and readers requested for her to appear in other titles. Although some readers requested that Batwoman also continue to appear in publication, DC responded to the fan-based acclaim and criticism of the new character in an open letter in''Detective Comics'' No. 417 (1971), stating: "I'd like to say a few words about the reaction some readers have to Batgirl. These are readers who remember Batwoman and the other Bat-girls from years back ... They were there because romance seemed to be needed in Batman's life. But thanks to the big change and a foresighted editor, these hapless females are gone for good. In their place stands a girl who is a capable crime-fighter, a far cry from Batwoman who constantly had to be rescued by Batman." Batgirl continues to appear in DC Comics publications throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, as a supporting character in Detective Comics, in addition to guest appearances in various titles such as Justice League Of Americs,World's finest comics '' Brave and The Bold'', Action comics, and Superman. In the mid-1970s, Batgirl reveals her secret identity to her father (who had already discovered it on his own), and serves as a member of the United States House Of Representives. She moves to Washington, D.C., intending to give up her career as Batgirl and in June 1972, appeared in a story entitled "Batgirl's Last Case." Julius Schwartz brought her back a year later in Superman'' No. 268 (1973), in which she has a blind date with Clark Kent, establishing their friendship, and fights alongside Superman. Batgirl and Superman team up twice more, in''Superman No. 279 and DC Comics Presents #19. Batgirl also guest-starred in other Superman related titles such as No. 453 of Adventure Comics, and in Superman Family No. 171, where she teams with Supergirl. The character is given a starring role in DC's Batman family comic book which debuted in 1975. The original Robin Dick Grayson became her partner in the series and the two were frequently referred to as the "Dynamite Duo: Batgirl & Robin." Batgirl meets Batwoman in Batman Family No. 10, when the retired superhero briefly returns to crime-fighting (before Kane is murdered by the Bronze Tiger). The two fight Killer Moth and Cavalier, and learn each other's secret identities. Batwoman retires once again at the conclusion of the story, leaving Batgirl to continue crime-fighting. Although this series ended after three years of publication, Batgirl continued to appear in back up stories published in Detective Comics through issue No. 519 (October 1982). Crisis on Infinite Earths, a limited miniseries published in 1985, was written in order to reduce the complex history of DC Comics to a single continuity. Although Batgirl is a featured character, her role is relatively small—she delivers Supergirl's eulogy in issue seven of the 12-part series. The conclusion of Crisis on Infinite Earths changed DC Universe continuity in many ways. Following the reboot, Barbara Gordon is born to Roger and Thelma Gordon, and she is Jim Gordon's niece/adopted daughter in current canon. Post-''Crisis'', Supergirl does not arrive on Earth until after Gordon has established herself as Oracle; many adventures she shared with Batgirl are retroactively described as having been experienced by Power Girl . In Secret Origins'' #20: Batgirl and the Golden Age Dr. Mid-Nite'' (1987), Barbara Gordon's origin is rebooted by author Barbara Randal. Within the storyline, Gordon recounts the series of events that lead to her career as Batgirl, including her first encounter with Batman as a child, studying martial arts under the tutelage of a sensei, memorizing maps and blue prints of the city, excelling in academics in order to skip grades, and pushing herself to become a star athlete.